Advanced printers are often shipped to customers as base packages where only a small subset of built-in software features are enabled. Embedded controller software is included in the printers as a product-specific package which is standard for multiple models of printers, and controls which capabilities or features of the printer are enabled. After some time, the customer may purchase the additional features from the manufacturer or vendor, and in return, the purchased feature will be enabled. After some time, the customer may purchase the additional features from the manufacturer or vendor, and in return, the purchased feature will be enabled.
A mechanism is required to control the enabling of these features. One solution is to implement feature control through a physical device, such as a compact flash card, and ship printers with a socket for reading the compact flash card. When a customer purchases a new feature, a compact flash card with some information for enabling the feature is sent to the customer. Once the card is inserted into the printer, the feature identified on the card is enabled. The problem with this method is that there is no built-in control to prevent the user from copying the contents of the compact flash to other compact flashes and installing the cards in multiple printers, rather than purchasing the feature option for each printer. Should this type of piracy occur, the printer manufacturer or vendor can lose a great deal of licensing revenue.
One solution to prevent duplication of the compact flash is to send the compact flash to customers with contents that are unique to the customer's printer. Creating compact flash devices with contents specific to each printer, however, would face prospective time delays due to creating personalized devices, and would increase cost to the point where it would be prohibitive to implement such a feature control.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method and system for controlling software features in an electronic device, such as a printer, in a manner that maximizes licensing revenue for the manufacturer. The method should be cost effective, easy to implement, and should have the ability to enable multiple features over time. The present invention addresses such a need.